Engine starter



atented ug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN A. EILEIT, F ELMIRA, EW-YJPK, ASSIGNE. T0 ECLIPSE MACHINE COM- PANY, GF ELIIRA, NEW "RK, CQKE'ORTIGN OF NEW YGRK.

'ENGINE STRTEE..

,pplicatiotu 'Med March. t, Serial No. 289,313.

.To aZZwhom t may concern:

Be it known that STEPHEN A. ELLErr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elmira', in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Engine Starters, of which the following is a'specilication.

My invention relates to starters for engines, more particularly internal combustion l@ engines, and the ohiectthereof is to produce a novel, ecient and compact construction of starter whose features of advantage and utility will he apparent from the description hereinafter given.

* In the drawing Fi 1 is a sectional elevation of a-starter em odying my invention;

eind Fig. 2 a section on the line 2-2 of ig. l.

Referring to the particular embodiment im of my invention as' herein shown, the prime mover is in the form of an electric motor indicated at A, and the drive or transmission which is normally disengaged from the en- ,gine member such as the fly Wheel E is conibined with the structure of such motor. In

the present instance the motor-driven or power shaft is the hollow armature l of the electric motor `Which is adapted to positively drive a driven shaft 2 of the drive or trans 5'@ mission. This latter shaft extends entirely through the armature and projects from the opposite ends thereof. One of the projecting ends which is here the right-hand end is pro vided with screw threads 3 on which is mounted a'driving member in the form of a pinion 1lscrew-threaded I on such screw threads for longitudinal movement ot its shaft and also rotary movement therewith.

The remainder of the driven shaft 2 is suhstantially plain and has a positive driving' connection with the armature which connection is here in the form of splines and grooves, the splines 5 being preferably in the armature and the grooves 6 in the driven shaft. This operating connection is such as to cause a positive rotary motion between the two shafts but to permit a longitudinal movement of the driven shaft with respect to the driving shaft.

The driven shaft is provided at its outer left-hand end with a nut 7 between which and the adjacent end of the armature there is interposed a coiled spring 8 which tends to hold the driven shaft towards the left in the normal position shown. This position is determined by the contact of the shoulder 9 at the left-hand end of the screw-threaded portion against the outer end of the thrust hearing l0 mounted at the right-hand side of the armature.

Describing the mode of operation and starting with the parts in their normal position as shown in Fig. l, when the electric rno tor is 'rotated the driven shaft 2 is correspondingly rotated with the result that the pinion. l is advanced inwardly towards the motor and longitudinally of its shaft` and into engagement with the teeth of the fly Wheel B. The pinion is arrested in its longitudinal movement when in full mesh by the contactoi its inner end against the shoulder l0L of the thrust hearing 1G, such pinion being counter-bored at'this end so as to fit over the shoulder 9 and make the contact stated. Thereupon the pinion partakes of the rotary movement or its shaft and rotates the 'fly Wheel. When the engine has started on its own power the pinion is automatically demeshed and returned to its normal or home position as shown, the same being stopped at 8G such home position by means of the abrupt ends 3 of the screw threads which are contacted hy the pinion threads in the usual manner.

In the event that the pinion teeth and ily Wheel teeth should not register out should abut end to end, such impact is cushioned by reason of the yielding 1ongitudinal movement of the driven shaft 2 which, under such condition, is permitted to move longitudinally to the right against the tensien the spring 8 untii the pinion is slightly rotated in order to bring its teeth into register and mesh with the ily Wheel whereupon the spring returns the shaft to its normal position. This spring also serves as a yielding driving connection in the driving operation, inasmuch as when the pinion then hears against the thrust bearing, the tendency of the driving load is to pull the grooved sha-ft 2 through the hollow armature. its this tendency is resisted by the spring, there is thus provided a yielding driving connection through the utilization of this compression spring.

I claire: A

l. drive or transmission for an engine starter comprising, in combination, an e1ectric motor having a hollow rotatable armature shaft, e driven shaft arranged within said armature shaft :ind having' n spline und groove connection therewith for positive rotary movement between the two shzit'ts and :i relative longitudinal movement there of, the driven Slnit't boing' of Such length that. opposite ends project. beyond the ends of the nrinntnre sli-litt, :i dritti l her mounted on one ot the projet, Y: of Said driven shatt for longilnffiinnl Inove- Inont thereo'tI and rotary movement therewith7 und resilient menne positioned on the oppositiprojooting end ot Said driven shatt for .-ffiisting longitudinal i'nox'enient of the senno in one direction, A

drive or transmission for an engine starter comprising, in eoinlninition, an elec trio motor haring u. hollow rotatable urineture shaft, :i driven shaft arranged Within said nrnmtnre short and having n spline sind groove connection therewitn for positiveI rotary inorenient between the two shafts find e' re.. l tndinnl movement thereof', the driven Shaft Ybeing; ot ch length that its opposite ends project beyond the ende of the armatore shaft, n thrust hearing rnonnted on the motor and through which the driven Sliailt has limited longitudinal movement, u dining member mounted on one ot the projeetinej ends ot Seid driven shaft "'ior lo' .i oveinent thereof and rotary :nent tinixrewit-li, eet-id driving member being; adapted to Contact seid thrust bear ing in its driving position, and resilient ineens positioned on the opposite projecting end ot said driven Shaft for resisting longitndinnl n'ioif'ernent ot the sinne when said thrust bearing is contacted by said driving nieinloent 3. no drive or trzinsniiseion lor :in engine starter Comprising, in combination, :in eleotric inotor having n hollow rotatable armutinre shaft, a driven shaft arranged within Said nrnmtnre slnift'and haring a spline and groove'oonnietion therewith for positivo rotary movement betireen the two shafts and n relativelongitudinal ino'veniont, thereof, the driven shaft beingw of euch length that its opposite ends project beyond the ende of' the armature shaftv` :ind one of said projecting ends beingY provided with Screw threads, an anti-friction tl'nnet hearingl mounted on the niotor through which the driven shaft hns n limited loiigitndinn-l vmovement a. driving ineinloer mounted on the threaded portion of the driven shaft for longitudinal movement thereoiand rotary rnoren'xent therewith7 and :i coil spring positioned on the opposite projecting end of seid driven shaft tor resisting longitudinal movement oit the saine in one direction.

STEPHEN fr. ELLETT. 

